James Bond and TAG Heuer
As stated at the outset in Part I, this is not intended as a bulletproof identification of the two clearly different watches worn by Timothy Dalton as James Bond in The Living Daylights. No documentation or even an opinion has been provided from Eon Productions on either to us.
That’s not uncommon in historical research, of course.
As a case in point, any ultimate study aimed at the identification of the many and various wristwatches that Ian Fleming himself had clearly worn during his lifetime will largely rest on approaches similar to those laid out in these articles.
It’s the way most real-world, historical timepieces are found outside of Tinsel Town.
At a minimum, however, these articles break the monopoly held by so much of the duplicated guesswork by others that has actually inhibited a thoughtful and ultimately fruitful search for the James Bond watches worn in The Living Daylights. Evidence and bases are transparent in my research. Thus, even those who intelligently disagree with the conclusions here are at least now pointed in the right direction.
It is 100% certain, as Paul Gavin, David Chalmers, and I have agreed, that a Heuer Airline GMT appears in The Living Daylights as the signature gadget watch. We’re almost as sure that a Heuer or TAG Heuer 980.031 Professional Diver’s watch is worn by James Bond. It’s probable that two other characters wore the same model as well, including Felix Leiter. Still another watch is “very likely” a Heuer, and the last one is at least “consistent with” another Heuer of this period.
Writing next now strictly on behalf of myself, the history of James Bond filmmaking as it stood in 1986 suggests a very low probability that Timothy Dalton wore anything other than a Heuer or TAG Heuer in The Living Daylights. And it seems an extreme long shot, indeed, to think it any sort of Rolex, let alone a Rolex Submariner Date, despite its choice as the Bond watch one film later in Licence to Kill.
Chances are good that the silver-colored James Bond watch in The Living Daylights is some sort of Heuer or TAG Heuer. With a 20-40% “certainty,” JamesBondWatches.com is calling the “Tangier Rooftop Heuer” a thin-case reference 980.013 Professional Diver; it’s a non-coated stainless steel brother to the “Gibraltar Heuer,” but with a black dial. This watch seems a bit more readily available to collectors, in the $200.00 to $400.00 (U.S.) price range, depending on condition.
Whatever the ultimate models confirm as, and whatever eventually may be proven regarding formality of relationship between Eon Productions and TAG Heuer in the past, one thing is for certain: TAG Heuer has unquestionably been an important part of the James Bond legacy at least since the mid-1980s.
That’s exciting news.
James Bond wore a TAG Heuer wristwatch,” Part I (a)
“James Bond wore a TAG Heuer wristwatch,” Part I (b)
“James Bond wore a TAG Heuer wristwatch,” Part I (c)
“James Bond wore a TAG Heuer wristwatch,” Part I (d)
James Bond wore a TAG Heuer wristwatch,” Part II (a)
“James Bond wore a TAG Heuer wristwatch,” Part II (b)
“James Bond wore a TAG Heuer wristwatch,” Part II (c)
“James Bond wore a TAG Heuer wristwatch,” Part II (d)
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